


The Boys

by cookies_loves_duckies



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Coming Out, Dewey Duck Needs a Hug, Dewey Duck-centric, Dewey uses they/them pronouns, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Misgendering, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Dewey Duck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-24 04:15:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30066522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookies_loves_duckies/pseuds/cookies_loves_duckies
Summary: ‘The boys.’Dewey isn't a boy, but only they know that.
Relationships: Dewey Duck & Louie Duck, Huey Duck & Dewey Duck, Huey Duck & Dewey Duck & Louie Duck
Comments: 36
Kudos: 83





	The Boys

**Author's Note:**

> hi this is like my first ducktales fic ever HEHWGEHSHS so go easy on me i guess hahsjha
> 
> also huge thanks to my friend knife (@reesiereads - go check her fics out!) for helping beta read/edit this :))

‘The boys,’

‘The boys,’

‘The  _ boys _ ,’

Dewey and their brothers come as a trio. They do everything together. And so, they’re always referred to as one unit. They are “the boys”. 

It’s a nice, short and simple way to refer to the three of them. Saying “Huey, Dewey, and Louie” each time is a mouthful, and “the boys” is a  _ perfect _ alternative. Dewey knows this, so they stay quiet. 

They stay quiet even when every single time they hear that phrase it stays lingering in the back of their mind, causing their stomach to drop in an instant. 

They stay quiet because they don’t want to bother anyone, they’re already annoying enough. 

It just stings more and more. 

\- - -

“You think that’s weird?” Louie said irritably, “Today when we were watching Ottoman Empire, Dewey spilled my can of Pep on our popcorn, and then  _ ate _ it afterwards.”

“It’s still food!” Dewey defended themself, “You were going to just let it go to waste!” 

“It was  _ soggy _ !”

“Oh yeah?” Dewey said, crossing their arms, “Well one time Huey licked a log,  _ and  _ a spiderweb!” 

“Of  _ course _ he did.”

“ _ Hey _ ,” Huey interjected, “those were for science!”

Cutting their debate short, some fresh plates of pasta are brought to the dining table. Feeling excited to eat some proper food after eating that mushy popcorn (although they wouldn’t admit it didn't taste as good as they’d expected), Dewey stares down at the plate, ready to devour it. 

“Webby and I had a blast adventuring today!” Della said enthusiastically, breaking the silence.

Dewey smiles brightly at their mom and sister, both sitting across from them. 

“We sure did,” Webby said, “The boys definitely missed out.” she teased, glancing at Dewey and their brothers.

Dewey’s eyes shoot down at their plate immediately.

‘The boys definitely missed out.’

‘The boys’

It stings.

It stings and they can’t say anything.

‘The boys’

Their stomach begins to swirl, and suddenly they’ve lost their appetite.

‘The  _ boys _ ’

_ ‘I’m not a boy!’  _ they want to shout, but they just– can’t. 

They’ll mess everything up. 

They’ll inconvenience everyone.

They can’t do that to their family. 

‘ _ The boys.’ _

The more they hear those words ringing in their head the more the sickening feeling in their stomach grows. 

With their eyes glued on one swirly piece of pasta, they don’t realize they’re shaking until they feel a hand on their wrist.

“Dew, you okay?” Louie asks, looking into their eyes with an expression of concern.

They look up at Louie and then at the others.

Everyone is staring at them.

Dewey lets out a nervous laugh, attempting to cut the tension they feel in the room. “In- _ dew _ -bitably.” they say shyly, with not nearly as much enthusiasm as usual. 

No one buys it. 

Huey placed a hand on their back and gazed at them worriedly. “You’re shaking.” 

“I’m  _ fine _ , Huey.” Dewey snapped.

The eldest triplet took his hand away and placed it back on his lap, his eyes still fixated on his sibling. 

Dewey just wanted to disappear. Everyone is staring at them.  _ Why is everyone still staring at them?  _

They’ve kept quiet for so long, not wanting to bother anyone; now they’ve just killed the mood of the family dinner.  _ ‘Nice job, Dewey.’ _ they think to themself bitterly. 

Louie slid his hand down from Dewey’s wrist into their hand. They can feel their brother’s fingers linking with theirs, holding tightly, but they let their hand sit there limply. They don’t pull away though; it’s actually calming them down.

\- - -

The rest of family dinner is nearly dead silent; the only sounds being the quiet voices of Della and Scrooge. Dewey couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they hoped it wasn’t about them. 

It felt like it’d been hours, but it’d only been thirty minutes (Dewey had been staring at the clock the whole time). 

By now they’d stopped shaking, although they’d had the event from half an hour ago playing in their mind on loop. 

Maybe they should just come out and say it.  _ ‘I’m nonbinary. I’m not a boy.’  _ What’s the worst that could happen? Well, maybe they’d get accused of faking it for attention—after all, everyone knows Dewey  _ loves _ attention—or maybe they’d get criticized for their pronouns ( _ ‘Singular people can’t use plural pronouns, that’s so weird!’  _ they’ve heard people say, even though it’s not even accurate), or maybe their family will think it’s all too confusing and complicated and guilt them for it, or maybe–

Dewey’s thoughts get cut off when they feel a squeeze on their hand. They nearly forgot Louie was there holding it. 

“Are you done eating?” Louie asked them, glancing at the plate of pasta that had barely been touched, and then back at Dewey. 

“Yeah.” Dewey replied, only then realizing that they’d started breathing rapidly not too long ago, which is probably what prompted Louie to ask. “I’m uh, I’m gonna go lay down.” they stood up promptly and headed to their room before anyone could reply. 

\- - -

Laying atop their blue bed covers and facing the underside of Huey’s bunk, Dewey studied the planks of wood; they could feel their heartbeat racing in their chest. 

Those words start ringing in their head again.

‘The boys’

Lately they hadn’t heard it as much; now that Webby was a part of the family, they were more used to hearing “the kids” in reference to the four of them. It felt really nice. 

‘The boys’ 

Although, when their mom returned, all she did was talk about how much she missed her ‘sons’. Her  _ ‘boys’ _ . Dewey didn’t mind it as much then, because the overwhelming joy they felt in those moments outweighed the stinging feeling that those words left on them. 

‘The  _ boys _ ’

That feeling eventually faded, though, and the pain started to sink in. 

The nausea began to kick in yet again when they heard a faint knock on the door. 

“Hey, Dewey?” Huey asked softly from behind it, “It’s me and Louie, can we come in?” 

_ ‘I’m gonna have to explain myself, aren’t I?’  _ Dewey realized, rolling onto their stomach and burying their head in a pillow. 

“Fine.”

The door opens and the two slip into the room, exchanging a quick glance before climbing up to the middle bunk and sitting at the foot of it.

Huey placed a hand on Dewey’s leg. “Dewey, what’s wrong?” 

“Ugh, I don’t know.” they responded, their voice muffled by the pillow. They scrunched their face up. 

They did know.

They just didn’t know how to say it. 

Louie crawled up to the pillows and laid down next to Dewey, facing the side of their head.

“You can talk to us, Dew.” he said in almost a whisper, clasping Dewey’s hand again. 

But they  _ couldn’t;  _ it would only mess everything up, right? 

It just–

Keeps.

Getting.

_ Harder _ .

Maybe telling their brothers would help to ease the pain a little.

“Okay.” Dewey mumbled into the pillow, squeezing Louie’s hand back to calm their nerves. 

They turned to lay on their side, now facing the youngest triplet; who shot them a small, reassuring smile. Scooting closer to the two, Huey keeps his gaze locked on Dewey. 

“I, uh-” 

Their stomach flips.

Both of their brothers are looking at them expectantly, there’s no backing out now. 

“I’m-”

They’ve got this. They can  _ Dewey _ this. 

Just– just rip off the bandaid. 

“I’m not a boy.” 

They squeeze their eyes shut immediately, wanting to do  _ anything _ but see the looks on their brothers’ faces. 

The loud thumping of their heartbeat washes out the surprised “oh”s from their brothers, they barely catch them. 

They swiftly slip their head underneath their pillow and hold the edges down, hiding their face. 

“I’m nonbinary.” they mumble into the bedsheet, heart beating faster than before.

“Cool.”

“Thanks for telling us, Dewey,” Huey said, “do you want us to use new pronouns for you?”

They’re just.. cool with it? Dewey lifted their head out from under the pillow and looked at them in confusion. 

“What?”

“Do you want us to use new pronouns for you?” Huey repeated.

“Uh, yeah.” Dewey looked away shyly, “Could you use they/them pronouns for me?” 

“Sure!” Louie said as Huey nodded and smiled. 

Dewey looked back at them. “You guys aren’t like.. upset or anything?” 

“No, of course not!” Huey assured them, putting a hand on their shoulder, “Why would we be?” 

“I don’t know,” Dewey started, “I- I feel like it’s- it’s too complicated, and I- I just-”

They pause, taking in a breath.

“I don’t want to be a burden.” their voice breaks, and tears begin to flood their eyes. 

“Hey, look at me.” Louie said, putting a hand on their other shoulder. Dewey blinked away their tears and made eye contact with their brother. 

“You are  _ not _ a burden, and it’s not too complicated. And even if it were, your comfort and happiness are what matter most, okay?”

“...okay.” 

“You’re our sibling, Dewey. You could never be a burden to us.” Huey added.

_ ‘Sibling.’  _ Hearing that word gave Dewey a nice, warm feeling in their stomach, and replaced the sickening swirling they’d been feeling all day. 

They tear up again, but out of gratitude. Huey and Louie wrap their arms around them and they cling back tightly. 

‘The boys,’

‘The boys,’

‘The  _ boys _ ,’

The words fade away, knowing their brothers are there for them.

It’s going to get better. 

They know it will.

“Thank you.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading :)) i'm on tumblr @cookies-loves-duckies
> 
> also thanks to @philipAsoo for putting this headcanon (nonbinary dewey) in my head hehe (check out her fics theyre rlly good)
> 
> (˶^ з^ ) have a nice day!


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